Network support for “Living Norway Ecological Data Network”

Living Norway Ecological Data Network (hereafter Living Norway) was established in 2019, to facilitate FAIR management and sharing of ecological data from Norwegian research institutions that are involved in collecting and/or using data from ecological research and monitoring. Later, the focus of the network expended, and included focus on open, transparent and reproducible research in general within ecology and related research areas. The network currently consists of eight Norwegian institutions. Between 2021 – 2023, the network has been supported by a network grant from the Research Council of Norway. This grant from the research council has made it possible to expand the work in the network, to increase both the knowledge, interest and capacity in FAIR data management and open, transparent and reproducible research within the network and beyond. During the project period, we have arranged and hosted a wide range of activities to this end. These activities can be divided into seven interconnected activities, each aiming to reach the Networks overarching goal. First, we have maintained internal communication about network activities by updating our webpage and hosting a digital Slack community. Throughout the project period, we have had regular meetings in the steering group, and have worked to increase the knowledge about and involvement in our activities within the partner institutions. Second, we have arranged a series of workshops (both physically, digital and hybrid) across the project period, where both network members and researchers and students outside the network was invited. These workshops have mainly targeted FAIR data management and publishing, using our LivingNorwayR software, and on transparent science in general. Third, we organized one-day workshop at the 6th Norwegian Oikos conference in February 2023, where participants also outside the network participated. The theme of the workshop was “Managing ecological data”. The workshop was co-arranged with the University of Bergen. Fourth, the network grant made it possible to arrange the 2021 Living Norway Colloquium with the title “The ethics and technical know-how of open science in ecology and evolution”. In total, 77 participants from 11 countries participated in the colloquium. In addition, we co-arranged the 2023 Living Norway Colloquium together with GBIF. The title of the colloquium was “Open biodiversity data for a better World”, and in total 70 participants from 9 countries signed up for the conference. Fifth, in parts of the project period we hosted an Open Science lab, where we had a series of online meetings combining short lectures from international and national experts in open science and data management. This lab was open to anyone, and >100 different people participated. All presentations were recorded and are available online through our web page. Sixth, we have been involved in and co-organized two one-week PhD-courses in open science for ecologists (in 2022 at Finse, and in 2023 at Hjerkinn). These courses brought together PhD students and early career researchers from across Europe to learn about open science. Several of the network institutions were involved in organizing and/or teaching at the course. Seventh, we have participated in many Norwegian and international activities and workshops about FAIR data management and open science, and we have presented our work and network at a wide range of different events and to a wide range of institutions, targeting both researchers, students and nature management. we are confident that the combined result of these efforts has been beneficial for our overarching goal - to facilitate open, reproducible and transparent sharing, use and reuse of ecological data to the benefit of society and science.

The network has since the start of the project maintained, supported and facilitated a large community of ecological researchers across all career stages in their work to work in concert with FAIR principles for data management, and the principles of open science in general. Through a range of activities, the network has increased both the competence, interest and capacity related to management of ecological data and open, reproducible and transparent research in the ecological research community. The main activities have included a series of workshops about data management and open science, an open science lab with invited lecturers, maintaining and updating of webpages and a dedicated data portal for the network, participation and co-organization of university-level courses in open science, and serving as a link towards other national and international related activities. Because environmental reserach (including ecology) has been limited by access to well-managed open data sources, the impact of the network in the society is high - considering the current biodiversity crisis. Moreover, as has been increasingly clear over the last decade, research that is both open, reproducible and transparent is an absolute necessity for continued public trust in science. Through the activities in our network, the interest in, knowledge about and the capacity to conduct open science in our research community has increased considerably. The network has included staff, researchers and students from eight Norwegian institutions (NINA, NIVA, NTNU, NBIC, UiO, UiB, NMBU and NIBIO).

Our ability to react adequately to the current biodiversity crisis is directly related to our ability to understand, predict and manage complex biological systems response to ongoing anthropogenic pressures. Because ecology is the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance organisms, it therefore provide the foundation for understanding and potentially mitigating the current biodiversity crisis. In order to provide scientific knowledge needed for evidence-based policy and management, data driven research with wide spatial, temporal and taxonomic coverage is urgently needed to produce grand ecological synthesis. However, currently most ecological data are not managed according to FAIR principles for data management, and this represent a significant hindrance to further scientific progress. Living Norway Ecological Data Network was established in 2019, in order to provide the research community with FAIR data from ecological data. The overall goals of the network include implementation of e-infrastructure, development of data infrastructure of ecological data, co-development and implementation of common standards, development of training and education modules, and network and coordination activities to ensure efficient and widespread community uptake of the tools and human know-how developed in the network. This application is targeting the network activities, which an absolutely fundamental activity if we are to achieve the overarching goals of the network. The network currently consists of eight Norwegian institutions (NINA, NTNU, UiB, NMBU, NHM-UiO, NIVA, NIBIO and NIBIC) that have committed to the common goals outlined in the collaboration agreement. Moreover, the network is tightly connected to global networsk and infrastructures, such as GBIF and TDWG. Across the two year proejct applied for here, we will facilitate a number of activities that will make the greater goals of the network attainable.